1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates to assemblies for transporting patients from one support surface to another.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The difficulties of moving patients from a hospital bed to another bed, a chair or other support are well recognized. A paralyzed or otherwise incapacitated person is particularly difficult to move.
Various machines and devices have been proposed for facilitating patient transfer. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,297,753, 4,776,047 and 4,794,655 disclose various conveyors for moving patients between two points. Each of these conveyors is fairly complex. U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,753 discloses a conveyor including a plurality of parallel rollers. This conveyor may be folded in half for storage.
A patient may also be moved between two points through the use of a board extending therebetween. Such boards are often constructed to have narrow ends to fit beneath the patient and a wide center portion to provide strength and support. Talcum powder may be provided on the board for lubrication. This method has a number of drawbacks, however, including excessive friction between the patient and the board. The problem is magnified if the patient is not fully clothed.